Industrialist Anand Mahindra today said poets, writers and artists will help save the world from the scourges of oppression and climate change, and not the technology. “Who will save the world? It is going to be poets. Poets will save the world, not technology,” he said, addressing leaders from the Indian IT industry here. “It is the people who use their imagination…people who oppose oppression, people who oppose the pollution on the planet…they’re not machines who are going to oppose that. It is going to be poets, writers, musicians. They will save the world, not the technology,” Mahindra said.

Mahindra, whose group consists of Tech Mahindra, the fifth largest software exporter in the country, had been asked about `power of technology’ during a panel discussion. The final word on this came from HDFC Bank chief Aditya Puri, who said, “Technology is always overestimated”. The USD 155-billion domestic IT industry nets over 65 per cent of its revenues from the US.

In view of the uncertainty created following Trump’s protectionist comments, Nasscom has again lowered its revenue growth projection to the lower-end of its already lowered guidance of 8-10 per cent for this year from 10-12 per cent given last February. Mahindra said the country had the same opportunity in the 1960s under the “charismatic” Nehru but the leader floundered on the economic front. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is also trying to do just that but may not have the economic heft to fulfil his ambitions, he added. Chinese president Xi Jinping also attempted a similar thing in the recently concluded Davos summit, Mahindra said, adding that the world will be fearful of China and the head of the Communist regime cannot lead a “free world”.

You May Also Want To Watch:

There are positives for India like space exploration and science and technology, he said crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his attempts to change the mindsets of the nation with schemes like Swwach Bharat and demonetisation.

He said the cleanliness drive may be aimed at increasing the revenues coming to the tourism industry which has margins higher than the IT industry. He also said that under Modi, instances of corruption in New Delhi’s corridors of power are “non-existent”.

Welcoming Nasscom’s view to defer its guidance for next fiscal, Mahindra said industry should function independently and not go to the government asking for any sops. On automation, he said the tractors which cannot mow down people in the field will be the first to go driverless, followed by trucks if separate lanes are provided and then the cars. HDFC Bank’s Aditya Puri said the bank is also working with Mahindra to have a car dashboard banking application which can help conduct transactions on the go.